You see, every home needs regular drain cleaning.  Through the course of time, particulate matter, waste, and unpleasant residue from many sources will accumulate on the inside of your home drain pipes. Once this accumulation reaches significant levels, the result is clogged pipes.  How can you tell when the time is right to clean your drains?

Here are three signs you need Franklin drain cleaning:

Franklin: Clogged Toilets

Clogged toilets can overflow, causing a stinky, inconvenient mess. Clogged toilets are caused by sewer drain clogs, where an obstruction blocks passage of water and waste material through the sewer drain pipes. These obstructions can be improperly flushed items (baby diapers, hand towels, potted plants…), the result of natural accumulations over time, tree roots which grow into sewer drain pipes, or damage to the pipe itself. Your Franklin plumber will perform sewer drain cleaning which removes these obstructions and gets your pipes working again.

Franklin: Slow Draining Sinks

If your kitchen, bathroom, or utility room sink is draining slowly, you may need drain cleaning. Kitchen drain pipes are especially vulnerable, as food residue, grease, and soap scum can accumulate quickly. If you notice your sinks draining slowly after you pull the plug, or a foul odor coming from your kitchen sink drains, call your Franklin plumber! It’s time for drain cleaning.

Franklin: Laundry Room Clogs

Laundry room clogs happen when the dirt, grease, hair, and clothing fibers that are cleaned off of the clothes by the washing machine accumulate in the laundry drain pipe. While this type of clog is not as common as kitchen sink clogs or clogged toilets, a laundry room clog can result in an inconvenient mess. For a busy family, it’s essential to keep the washing machine running! If your washer drains extremely slowly, you need to call your Franklin plumber. Drain cleaning can fix the problem fast.

Many Central MA homeowners have a sump pump in their home. This pump is the first line of defense against flooding and water damage.  Usually installed in the basement, a sump pump removes water before it can accumulate to depths where it can damage your home or possessions.  It doesn’t take much water to permanently damage furniture, home heating equipment, or your home’s foundation.  It’s essential to get water out quickly.

Many of us don’t even think about our sump pumps until something goes wrong.  Unfortunately, the way you *might* discover your sump pump isn’t working is a flooded basement costing you thousands of dollars in damages! There are two types of sump pumps: pedestal and submersible.  The expected useful life span of a pedestal sump pump is 10-15 years, depending on how often the pump is used.  With heavier usage, your sump pumps will wear out faster.

To test your sump pump, pour several gallons of water into the sump pit.  If you’re not sure how to do this, ask your Central MA plumber.  They will be able to tell you that the sump pit is the shallow hole dug to contain the sump pump. Once this hole is full of water, your sump pump should come on, quickly and quietly removing all of the water.  If your sump pump does not come on during this test, or fails to remove the water quickly or quietly, it’s time to have your Central MA plumber inspect it.  It may be time for Central MA sump pump installation.

One of the neat things about New Year’s Eve is the tradition of making resolutions. The promises we make to ourselves in order to make life better for ourselves and our loved ones don’t have to be limited to pledging to lose weight or quit smoking. As homeowners, we can make choices that will help us have homes that are more beautiful and comfortable – and save us money! Here are some tips from your Worchester County plumber:

Worchester County Furnace Service: Once A Year!

One of the best ways to keep your family warm and comfortable while you save money is to have your Worchester County plumber perform an annual furnace service call. This call is critical. During this time, your Worchester County plumber will inspect your home heating system, and make sure all the components are functioning properly. Cleaning and replacing filters, nozzles, and other furnace components keeps your family safe and increases the efficiency of your home heating system. You’ll save fuel and money!

Worchester County Drain Cleaning: Keep Your Home Looking (And Smelling!) Great!

Keep your home looking and smelling great all year round by having your Worchester County plumber perform regular drain cleaning. Worchester County drain cleaning removes the waste materials that slowly accumulate on the inside of drain pipes – the pipes that connect our sinks, bathtubs, and toilets to the sewer system. This accumulation can become so severe that it blocks the passage of water through the pipes. When this happens, your sink can back up. So can your toilet – talk about an unpleasant, nasty mess! Drain cleaning removes the accumulated waste material that lines drain pipes. It eliminates any objects that have been improperly flushed down the pipes.

Not many people know that problems with your home heating system can cause you to use more fuel and energy than necessary to keep your home warm.  Clogged filters, worn belts, dirty fuel nozzles and other common issues cause your furnace to run inefficiently. Cracks or damage to the fuel supply lines or associated gaskets can contribute to wasted fuel.  Any damage to your home heating system can contribute to serious threats to your family, including the risk of fire or carbon monoxide poisoning.

If your fuel or energy bills have spiked without an accompanying stretch of extremely cold, sub-zero temperatures, call your Worchester MA plumber.  They can check your home heating system to see what’s causing the problem.  Other signs that your furnace needs repair include the furnace not providing heat; the furnace provides heat only sporadically or unevenly;  strange noises or sounds coming from the furnace.  If your home carbon monoxide detector has been activated, have your Worchester MA plumber inspect the furnace.

Having a reliable source of heat is extremely important during these cold winter nights.  If your furnace stops working, contact us for Worchester MA emergency furnace repair.  It is not safe for older family members and young children to be exposed to extreme low temperatures – yet that’s exactly what’s in the weather forecast. Our team of trained plumbing professionals are ready to work on all types of home heating sytems, furnaces and boilers.  We’ll get the problem fixed- and we’ll do it fast!

Auburn: Frozen Pipes

At 32 degrees, water changes into ice.  There’s no way around that.  If you  have exposed pipes, vulnerable to cold temperatures and winter winds, the water in those pipes can freeze.  Sheltered pipes can freeze if you experience heating system failure. When we’re experiencing bitterly cold weather outdoors, a door or window inadvertently left open can allow enough cold in to freeze pipes in the course of an ordinary work day.

You can take steps to prevent frozen pipes.  Every home is different: talk to your Auburn plumber to discover what insulation and heating strategies are appropriate for your home’s plumbing. If your pipes do freeze, or if you have burst pipes, there are some steps you need to take to ensure your safety. Avoid going into any areas flooded by the pipes bursting: not only is that water very cold, it can conceal many hazards, including electric shock. Do not attempt to thaw frozen pipes with torches: it is incredibly easy to set your house on fire! Call your Auburn plumber to thaw pipes safely and completely. They can also replace or repair damaged plumbing.

Auburn: Home Heating Repair

We count on our home heating systems to keep our family safe and warm during even the most frigid weather. If your furnace isn’t coming on, doesn’t produce enough heat, produces heat intermittently, or triggers the carbon monoxide detector, call your Auburn plumber.  Emergency furnace repair doesn’t have to cost a fortune! Choose an Auburn plumber who offers same day furnace repair service.

Franklin Furnace Repair

Choose a furnace repair service that has the expertise and experience to fix your home heating system.  At Five Star Services, we work on all types, makes and models of home heating systems.  Our repair trucks are rolling warehouses, equipped with everything we need to make sure we can get your heat up and running again fast! With the wicked cold weather we have in Franklin, we know that getting your furnace fixed fast is the top priority.

You also want a furnace repair service you can trust.  At Five Star Services, we take our responsibility to our customers very seriously.  We screen our potential employees very intensely and hire only those who pass rigorous background checks. We know how important your home is to you. That’s why roll out a protective red carpet before stepping foot in your home. We work hard to treat you the way we like to be treated when inviting a service professional into our home.

How do you know if you need a furnace repairman? It’s pretty obvious when there’s no heat! Every Franklin homeowner should schedule annual furnace service.  This cleaning and checkup can help identify problems before they start.  Other times to call the furnace repair team include when your furnace is operating, but not producing enough heat; when the furnace is making strange noises; when the furnace triggers the carbon monoxide detector (especially if this is a recurring problem!); or if you notice a large spike in fuel or energy use unrelated to extreme cold temperatures.

While we’re talking about home plumbing questions, another question is, “Is now the time for sewer cleaning?”  You’ll know the time is right for sewer drain cleaning if you haven’t had the drains cleaned in a number of years, if you notice the toilet flushing slowly (or not at all!), if there’s a lingering foul smell, or if your toilet has backed up.

Every home needs the sewer drains cleaned regularly.  Cleaning removes accumulated debris and organic material from the inside of the pipes.  If there are any inappropriate items clogging your pipes (from dirty diapers to beach towels – we’ve seen it all!) they’ll be removed by sewer drain cleaning.

A visual inspection can be performed to determine why your sewer drains are clogged.  This is often done if tree root penetration or sewer drain pipe damage is suspected. Visual inspection allows your Central MA plumber to see the pipes from the inside out, identifying serious problems without the need for messy and expensive exploratory excavation.  Why have your yard dug up if you don’t have to?

If your home has chronic sewer odors and you’ve had the sewer drain cleaned, you’ll want to have your Central MA plumber check your septic vents.  Vent pipes are intended to take the smelly gasses associated with the sewer system away from your family.  If these vent pipes are blocked or compromised, you can have a stinky issue. Having your Central MA plumber clear the blocked vent pipes can provide serious relief.

Your Worcester plumber can answer both questions for you.  By scheduling your annual Worcester County furnace service call, you are taking the first step to making sure your family is warm and comfortable all winter long.

Worcester County Home Heating Service

During an annual home heating service call, your Worcester County plumber will thoroughly inspect your furnace.  The first purpose of this inspection is to ensure your furnace is safe to use and operate. If there are any safety issues, your Worcester County plumber will identify and repair them, keeping you safer from fire and carbon monoxide poisoning.  The service inspects fuel nozzles, belts, filters, switches, and other heating system components to ensure everything is operating efficiently.

When your furnace has been serviced, there’s no dirt, dust, or grime preventing the fuel from being completely used by the furnace – nothing is wasted.  The air is warmed rapidly and delivered throughout your home. When your furnace is working properly, it has to work less often. You use less fuel, and the wear and tear on your furnace is reduced.  This can add years to the useful life of your furnace.

Consider your family’s routine.  Are there times that you can keep your house cooler? Lowering the thermostat during the hours where the house is empty, with everyone at work and school, can result in significant savings.  Talk to your Worcester plumber about the efficiency of your current furnace.  You may be able to upgrade to a more efficient model.

What makes a great bathroom? The essential elements include a superior toilet – perhaps a low flush model that saves water and money – bathroom sinks and a bathing area.  Your Worchester plumber installs many different types of showers and baths, including the newest luxurious steam showers, vertical spa showers with multiple heads, multiple head overhead showers, traditional and freestanding tubs.

Smart plumbing choices can save the homeowner lots of money.  Older water heaters in particular are notoriously inefficient.  They use far more energy than they need to in order to supply your family with hot water.  You can get the same hot water using less energy by upgrading to a new, more efficient water heater.  The resulting savings can be significant.  Additionally, you may be eligible for utility company financial incentives or tax credits when you have your Worchester plumber install a new water heater.

How can you tell if it is time to replace your water heater? Spikes in the utility bill are one clue that your water heater isn’t working the way it’s supposed to.  Other red flags to watch for include noises, thumps, bumps, or hissing sounds coming from the water heater, an uneven delivery of hot and cold water, suddenly scalding hot water, or any leaks or puddles near the water heater.  If you see any of these signs call your Worchester plumber right away for water heater repair or, if needed, water heater replacement.

Everyone deserves a steamy shower at the end of a tough day! Make 2011 the year you have the bathroom of your dreams! Your Worchester MA plumber can help make it happen.  Give them a call today.

Here’s the short version: you sit upon the toilet, do your business, and flush.  After that, the water and waste material is carried out, through the bottom of the toilet, into a series of pipes – known as sewer drain pipes – that carry this waste material away from your home to your septic system or municipal sewer.

When everything is working perfectly, the whole process happens without you even noticing.  Most of us don’t think about our sewer drains until there’s a problem. (This is too bad, because regular sewer drain cleaning is a simple household maintenance task that could significantly cut down on the number of clogged toilets!)

How Toilets Become Clogged

Toilets clog when the passage of water and waste material through the sewer drain pipes becomes impossible.  The sewer drain pipe can become blocked.  Items that block the passage of water and waste material include inappropriately flushed objects, such as baby diapers, hand towels, and small toys.  Children go through a stage where they’re entranced by the magic of an item disappearing when the toilet is flushed.   Send enough small toys down the bowl, and a sewer clog is going to happen.

Other reasons that your toilet can clog can include damage to your home’s sewer drain pipes due to a weather event or natural disaster.  Earthquakes and flood events have damaged sewer pipes in our region.  Tree roots can also grow into the sewer drain pipe, blocking the passage of water and waste materials, and causing clogs.

Your Grafton plumber can perform a visual inspection to determine the placement and nature of your toilet clog.  This use of a specially designed submersible camera eliminates the need for expensive excavation.  Once the clog is located, your Grafton plumber will know the best way to eliminate the clog fast!